UK urban rail industry news – Page 9
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Metro Report InternationalTfL executive management team slimmed down
UK: London’s Transport Commissioner Andy Byford has announced a restructuring and reduction in size of Transport for London’s executive team with effect from February 1. TfL said this would be ‘ensure that TfL is in the best possible shape to become an even more efficient organisation ...
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands transport investment priorities agreed
UK: The West Midlands Combined Authority board agreed a ‘wide-ranging’ list of more than 50 preferred schemes to improve rail, tram, bus, road, cycling and walking routes on January 14. The list includes the proposed Very Light Rail line in Coventry city centre, Aldridge station, developing ...
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Metro Report InternationalGuidance aims to make tramways safer for cyclists
UK: Design guidance intended to make tramways safer for cyclists has been published by the Light Rail Safety & Standards Board, however Cycling UK has told Metro Report International that it is a missed opportunity which does not adequately take into account the wider street environment. ...
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Metro Report InternationalGlasgow Subway train testing gets underway
UK: Preliminary testing of the new Stadler trains for the Glasgow Subway has begun, in what Strathclyde Partnership for Transport said marks a ‘major milestone’ for the modernisation of the 10·5 km circular underground line. In March 2016 SPT awarded a consortium of Stadler and Ansaldo ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London bans e-scooters following fires
UK: Privately-owned e-scooters and e-unicycles will not be permitted on Transport for London services or premises from December 13, as a result of safety concerns following fires at Stanmore and Parsons Green on the London Underground network. A review by TfL found that defective lithium-ion batteries ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst Tyne & Wear Metro train bodyshell completed
UK: The first aluminium bodyshell for the Tyne & Wear Metro’s new fleet of custom-designed trainsets been completed at Stadler’s St Margrethen factory in Switzerland, and is now ready for fitting out. ‘Completing the first bodyshell is a highly symbolic landmark in the manufacturing process, and ...
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Metro Report InternationalWest Midlands Metro governance inquiry launched
UK: An independent review into the governance of the West Midlands Metro light rail network is to be carried out in the wake of the withdrawal of the CAF tram fleet which operates services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
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Metro Report InternationalWest Midlands Metro services suspended over tram cracks
UK: West Midlands Metro announced on November 12 that services would be suspended for at least four weeks from the following day because of cracking on its CAF Urbos 3 trams. The manufacturer discovered cracks during maintenance checks in June, and services were suspended from June ...
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Metro Report InternationalCustom tool developed for London Underground train maintenance
UK: Norbar Torque Tools’ specialist engineering department has developed a unique tool to meet London Underground’s requirements for removing and refitting the inter-car coupler mounting bolts on the Victoria Line fleet. The coupler mounting on the Bombardier Transportation trainsets has four bolts with a significant boss ...
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Metro Report InternationalLondon Underground consults on accessibility priorities
UK: Transport for London has begun a public consultation to help it prioritise works to make London Underground stations more accessible. It is seeking feedback on whether to focus on upgrading a single, complex central London station, or divide the available resources between small and medium-sized ...
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Metro Report InternationalYoung people urged to consider careers in light rail
UK: An engineering ‘skills gap’ across many sectors including light rail means there are opportunities for young people to play a major role in meeting future transport and environmental challenges, says UKTram. The industry body is developing a light rail career ‘roadmap’, and planning a series ...
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Metro Report InternationalTyne & Wear Metro deploys monitoring drone
UK: Transport authority Nexus has begun using a Matrice 300 RTK drone to monitor the 77 km Tyne & Wear Metro network. The unmanned aerial vehicle is currently equipped with a L1 sensor for lidar surveys, P1 sensor for photogrammetry and imaging and H20T for thermal ...
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Metro Report InternationalWhat have the trams ever done for us?
UK: The Urban Transport Group has published the Leading light: What light rail can do for city regions report produced by consultancy Steer Group, which sets out how light rail supports economic growth, social inclusion and environmental gains. The key findings are that: light rail ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless pod technology planned for Shildon and Kampala
UK: UrbanMass has announced plans for a demonstration installation of its Floc concept for driverless electric pods which would use existing roads to collect passengers on-demand, and then ‘flock’ together as trains on dedicated elevated tracks. A demonstration system is planned to open at the National ...
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Metro Report InternationalUKTram consults on draft light rail strategy
UK: Light rail industry body UKTram is seeking comments on its draft Light Rail Strategy for the UK, which is due to be submitted to ministers and the Department for Transport later this year.
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Metro Report InternationalBlackpool Transport radios go digital
UK: TES Communication Solutions is to replace the analogue radio equipment on Blackpool Transport Services’ tram and bus fleets with a digital system. This will include ‘independent and resilient’ wide-area voice and data backhaul infrastructure to provide continuity of operations in the event of power cuts ...
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Metro Report InternationalGo-Ahead and Arup set out vision for sustainable transport hubs
UK: Ways to improve the integration of public transport with walking, cycling, micromobility and digital services to create an attractive alternative to car travel have been presented by train and bus operator Go-Ahead Group and engineering consultancy Arup. The Future Mobility Hubs report outlines a flexible ...
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Metro Report InternationalFunding sought for West Midlands Metro expansion
UK: The West Midlands Combined Authority Board has approved bids for £2bn of government funding for investment in tram, rail, bus and cycling infrastructure over the next five years The bids cover the refurbishment and upgrading of West Midlands Metro’s Birmingham – Wolverhampton light rail line, ...
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Metro Report InternationalLondon Underground’s Battersea Power Station extension opens
UK:·A 3·3 km two-station branch of London Underground’s Northern Line to serve the Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station redevelopment area opened on September 20. ‘This extension will hugely improve the links between these vibrant, growing south London neighbourhoods and the rest of the capital, and ...
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Metro Report InternationalBespoke London Underground doors pass fire test
UK: Rhino Doors has successfully fire-tested bespoke self-closing doors designed for the cross passages of Transport for London’s Moorgate station. The doors are intended to provide passengers with reduced mobility with a place of refuge during emergencies, and feature panic bars and vision panels. The double-leaf ...